There's a big dam bridge in Little Rock

The views are spectacular from the Big Dam Bridge, a long pedestrian and bicyclist bridge built above a dam on the Arkansas River in Little Rock, Ark.

Photo By Betty Luman

The Big Dam Bridge spans 4,226 feet over the Arkansas River in Little Rock, Ark. It's part of the 17-mile Arkansas River Trail, dedicated to walkers, joggers and bicyclists.

Photo By Betty Luman

An old railroad bridge crossing the Arkansas River near the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock was converted to a bridge for walkers, joggers and bicyclists. It offers a great view of the modern museum.

Photo By Betty Luman

"Testimony," a bronze sculpture of the Little Rock Nine, on the grounds of the Arkansas State Capitol.

Photo By Betty Luman

"Testimony," a bronze sculpture of the Little Rock Nine, on the grounds of the Arkansas State Capitol.

Photo By Betty Luman

A tour guide in period dress opens the gate to a collection of original farm buildings at the Historic Arkansas Museum in downtown Little Rock.

Photo By Betty Luman

Fans watch pitchers warm up in the bull pen at Dickey-Stephens Park, home of the Arkansas Travelers minor league baseball team, in North Little Rock, Ark.

Photo By Betty Luman

A banner for the Arkansas River Trail.

Photo By Betty Luman

Two of the pedestrian/bike bridges in downtown Little Rock, Ark., are built across former railroad bridges spanning the Arkansas River.

Photo By Betty Luman

National Park Service Ranger Spirit Trickey takes visitors on tours of Little Rock Central High School in Little Rock, Ark. Her mother was one of the Little Rock Nine who integrated the school in 1951 under the protection of 101st Airborne Division soldiers.

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The Arkansas Queen passes in front of the Clinton Presidential Library and the pedestrian bridge built in a former railroad bridge across the Arkansas River.

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The Oval Office replica in the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Photo By Betty Luman

From Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock, Ark., baseball fans get a swell view of downtown Little Rock across the Arkansas River.

Photo By Betty Luman

The Clinton Presidential Library and Museum is near the bank of the Arkansas River in Little Rock, Ark.

Photo By Betty Luman

National Park Service Ranger Spirit Trickey takes visitors on tours of Little Rock Central High School in Little Rock, Ark. Her mother was one of the Little Rock Nine who integrated the school in 1951 under the protection of 101st Airborne Division soldiers.

Photo By Betty Luman

Ozark Mountain Jams can be found at the River Market Farmers Market in downtown Little Rock, Ark.

Photo By Betty Luman

A sculpture of Harriet Tubman is one of many works of art in the parks around the River District in downtown Little Rock. In the background are the Clinton Presidential Library and a bike and hike bridge across the Arkansas River.

Photo By Betty Luman

An old railroad bridge crossing the Arkansas River near the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock was converted to a bridge for walkers, joggers and bicyclists. It's one of four that are part of of the 17-mile River Trail.

Photo By Betty Luman

The views are spectacular from the Big Dam Bridge, a long pedestrian and bicyclist bridge built above a dam on the Arkansas River in Little Rock, Ark.

Photo By Betty Luman

Fresh peas, peppers and cucumbers make a colorful still life at the River Market Farmers Market in downtown Little Rock, Ark.

Photo By Betty Luman

The views are spectacular from the Big Dam Bridge, a long pedestrian and bicyclist bridge built above a dam on the Arkansas River in Little Rock, Ark.

Photo By Betty Luman

An old railroad bridge crossing the Arkansas River near the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock was converted to a bridge for walkers, joggers and bicyclists. It offers a great view of the modern museum.

Photo By Betty Luman

An old railroad bridge crossing the Arkansas River near the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock was converted to a bridge for walkers, joggers and bicyclists. It's one of four that are part of of the 17-mile River Trail.

Photo By Betty Luman

The views are spectacular from the Big Dam Bridge, a long pedestrian and bicyclist bridge built above a dam on the Arkansas River in Little Rock, Ark.

Photo By Betty Luman

The views are spectacular from the Big Dam Bridge, a long pedestrian and bicyclist bridge built above a dam on the Arkansas River in Little Rock, Ark.

Photo By Betty Luman

The views are spectacular from the Big Dam Bridge, a long pedestrian and bicyclist bridge built above a dam on the Arkansas River in Little Rock, Ark.

Photo By Betty Luman

The views are spectacular from the Big Dam Bridge, a long pedestrian and bicyclist bridge built above a dam on the Arkansas River in Little Rock, Ark.

Photo By Betty Luman

The Big Dam Bridge spans 4,226 feet over the Arkansas River in Little Rock, Ark. It's part of the 17-mile Arkansas River Trail, dedicated to walkers, joggers and bicyclists.

Photo By Betty Luman

The Big Dam Bridge spans 4,226 feet over the Arkansas River in Little Rock, Ark. It's part of the 17-mile Arkansas River Trail, dedicated to walkers, joggers and bicyclists.

LITTLE ROCK - You have to love a place that builds a towering hike-and-bike trail above a dam then names the thing the Big Dam Bridge.

Opened in 2006 and designated one of the Top 10 bridges to see by the Society of American Travel Writers this year, the Big Dam Bridge is one of four crossings over the Arkansas River dedicated to pedestrians and bicyclists. It's part of the Arkansas River Trail's 17-mile loop on both sides of the river that separates the state capital from the smaller North Little Rock.

No one says you have to walk the whole trail. It's fun to walk just the bridges.

The Big Dam Bridge, is, of course, the biggest, spanning 4,226 feet. Free telescopes mounted in rest areas let you spy on upscale houses on the hills above the river. To the west, check out Pinnacle Mountain. Below, if you're lucky, watch a boat enter the lock and be lowered (or raised) to the water level on the other side.

If you do get a hankering to see the entire River Trail, check in with Bobby's Bike Hike, a new bike-rental outfit on President Clinton Avenue in the downtown River Market.

Speaking of Clinton, you'll know you're in the town where he served four terms as governor when you land at the airport, which was renamed the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport earlier this year.

For travelers who check off destinations like a birdwatcher marks the sighting of rare birds, Little Rock is flush with must-see attractions:

1. William J. Clinton Presidential Library. Not surprisingly, considering Clinton's reputation as a wonk, his library is filled with facts and stats. You would need days to read all of the information on display, and that's not including the 80 million pages of documents in the archive. So concentrate on what interests you - the timeline of Clinton's presidency or what guide Jinkie Redden called the "policy alcoves" on topics such as the economy, people, education. The one labeled "the fight for power" outlines Clinton's Whitewater troubles and the impeachment battle. Redden's favorite fact is in the science and technology alcove: In 1993, the year Clinton took office, the World Wide Web had just 50 websites. Eight years later? More than 350 million.

The library is not all words. Kids - as well as their parents - get a kick out of sitting in the president's chair in the full-size reproduction of the Cabinet Room. Hint: The president's chair is taller and is flanked by the U.S. and presidential flags.

Most of us will never set foot in the Oval Office, but here you can step inside a duplicate of the most famous office in the land.

The real fun is on the third floor, where gifts from world leaders are displayed, such as the gold-, ivory- and gem-encrusted sword and scabbard from the Indonesian minister of education. These are not reproductions. "If it looks like gold, it is," Redden told our little group.

Open: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays-Saturday; 1-5 p.m. Sundays. Admission: $7 for adults; $5 for 62 and older, retired military and college students; $3 for ages 6-17; free for active-duty military and ages 5 and younger. Restaurant: Forty Two, open for lunch 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays and brunch on Sundays. www.clintonlibrary.gov.

2. State capitol. Especially impressive in the neoclassical Arkansas State Capitol are the stained-glass skylights in the House and Senate chambers and the 4-inch-thick, 10-foot-tall bronze doors at the east entrance. The six doors, each weighing 1,000 pounds, were purchased from Tiffany & Co. for $10,000 in 1910. Their current value has been estimated at $250,000.

My favorite part of the capitol complex is on the north lawn. "Testament" depicts the Little Rock Nine, the brave teenagers who integrated Central High School. We walked right into the middle of the bronze sculptures of the book-toting nine, then imagined what it was like to go to school escorted by soldiers.

3. Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site. If you like your vacations to include history lessons, this National Park Service museum is worth a visit. It's across the street from Central High, where the nine African-American students were turned away by the Arkansas National Guard on the first day of school in September 1957. When they tried again two weeks later, rioting broke out. President Eisenhower ordered 101st Airborne Division soldiers to Little Rock, enabling the nine to spend their first full day at the school.

Photographs and television accounts explain the history, but the students' words make the impact. Here's Elizabeth Eckford, then a 15-year-old junior:

"I tried to see a friendly face somewhere in the mob - someone who maybe would help. I looked into the face of an old woman and it seemed like a kind face, but when I looked at her again, she spat on me."

Park Ranger Spirit Trickey said she loves "watching children's faces change before my eyes as a result of learning the story. … It's a very powerful story."

Her favorite part? The interviews with her grandmother and mother ­- Little Rock Nine member Minnijean Brown.

"Grannie was big on, 'You are never to feel inferior to anyone,' " Trickey said. "That's a large part of the reason my mother had the confidence" to be one of the nine.

4. Minor-league baseball. Texans can root for the visiting teams at Dickey-Stephens Park, home to the Arkansas Travelers of the Double-A Texas League. Opened in 2007, the gem of a ballpark in North Little Rock provides stunning evening views of downtown Little Rock across the river. Box seats are $12; sit on the outfield grass berms for just $6 for adults.

5. River Market District. It takes more than a day to explore all the attractions downtown, so start with historic Curran Hall (615 E. Capitol). In this 1842 home housing the Little Rock Visitor Information Center, we found brochures, maps, restaurant guides and routes for the trolley system.

The Clinton Museum Store sits on the edge of the River Market District (610 President Clinton Ave.). Steps away, you'll find the Central Arkansas Nature Center and its wildlife habitat exhibits. In the next block, the Museum of Discovery is designed to entertain children, but I saw plenty of adults getting a kick out of the interactive exhibits.

Just below the River Market, which is home to a colorful farmers market on Tuesdays and Saturdays, you'll find Riverfront Park with its sculptures, kids' splash and climb parks and a fitness mile, which is part of the River Trail. And if you were wondering whether there is a real little rock, you'll find it in the park. French explorers used La Petite Roche as a navigation landmark in the early 1700s. From both the park and the Clinton Library, pedestrian walkways built in former railroad bridges span the river. On the North Little Rock side, you can explore a World War II submarine or catch a cruise on the Arkansas Queen riverboat.

The Arkansas Studies Institute (401 President Clinton) doesn't sound like a tourist attraction, but it is. The building's design incorporates more than 100 photo panels depicting Arkansas history, and the first-floor gallery offers Arkansas jewelry, art and crafts.

A few blocks away, costumed guides explain 19th-century life in original dwellings that are part of the Historic Arkansas Museum (200 E. 3rd).

And when you are done with history, relax with a 21st-century meal and libation at Copper Grill (300 E. 3rd).